Chapter 346: Twin Overlord Spear King (3)
It didn’t take very long for the spar with the Black Lotus Sect Lord to be prepared.
Only what was at stake had changed—after all, the duel itself had already been arranged before I even arrived.
“Still, I didn’t expect this many people to show up.”
“W-well, the Black Lotus Sect Lord’s sparring matches were popular even before this. They’re not something that happens often, and he’s the number one figure of the unorthodox faction.”
The Illusory Illusion Witch said that while looking out at the outer edge of the training ground, now packed with spectators.
“And there’s also talk going around that the Black Heaven Festival might get cancelled this time, so even commoners seem to have come to watch.”
“The Black Heaven Festival, huh.”
The Black Heaven Festival was something like the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering created by the Black Lotus Sect.
Since there weren’t many prestigious clans or sects participating, the overall level was naturally lower… but apparently once you reached the semifinals or finals, the level became comparable.
More importantly, while the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering served as the first stage where unknown rising talents could make a name for themselves—
The Black Heaven Festival functioned a bit like an interview. Even if someone didn’t win, if they showed enough potential, they could become a warrior of the Black Lotus Sect.
“Ah, that must be why. If I win, the next Black Heaven Festival might disappear or change its nature.”
“Probably. But don’t worry! Among the rising talents… I mean the younger martial artists, most of them secretly support the White Moon Sword Lord. Even if the festival skips a year, they won’t resent you.”
“Support or not, I have no intention of becoming the Black Lotus Sect Lord.”
“Exactly. You’re not someone who’d be satisfied with merely becoming the Black Lotus Sect Lord… People really have no eye for talent.”
The words you’re the one who has no eye for talent nearly rose to the tip of my tongue, but I held them back. No reason to waste energy before the duel.
I let out a light sigh and checked my condition one last time.
My mind was clear.
My body was overflowing with strength.
My internal energy was full.
In short, I was in perfect condition.
…Except for the slight trembling I couldn’t quite suppress.
Well, that was only natural.
I was about to cross swords with none other than the Black Lotus Sect Lord himself.
My spar with Namgung Dowi had been a friendly match far from a fight to the death.
I had won, but if we truly fought with our lives on the line, the outcome would’ve been uncertain.
But this spar with the Black Lotus Sect Lord would be infinitely closer to a life-and-death battle.
Of course, neither he nor I intended to truly harm the other.
It was simply the nature of the martial arts we practiced.
If described kindly, they were practical combat arts.
If described bluntly, they were techniques refined solely to kill people.
Our skill levels weren’t drastically different either, so to truly test each other we had to fight with the genuine intent to injure.
No.
That wasn’t the real reason for my tension.
It was because my opponent was the Black Lotus Sect Lord.
Before my regression, I had once thought of him as a petty man who used underhanded methods to keep the Ironblood Hall in check.
But that impression had changed in an instant.
Not because I started thinking that maybe Seo Mun-Hwarin—who had inherited both land and status yet spent every day regretting the past and neglecting her duties—was partly to blame.
Rather—
After I finished avenging the Ironblood Hall, he accepted me even during the time when I was called the Sword Demon, a man controlled by killing intent.
Despite the opposition of countless people, he still valued and employed me.
And whenever something happened to the Black Lotus Sect, he stepped forward personally.
With overwhelming martial power and leadership, he commanded everyone’s loyalty.
He didn’t influence me as deeply as people like Seol Lihyang, Seo Mun-Hwarin, or Tang Sowol had.
But as a martial artist—as an elder of the unorthodox faction—
He had been someone silently walking the path ahead of me.
Yes.
To me, the Black Lotus Sect Lord was a senior.
Even someone as crooked as me—
Someone who would crash headfirst into superiors if things annoyed me, and had even killed bosses who crossed the line—
Still couldn’t help but acknowledge him as a senior.
And now I had to surpass him.
The moment that thought surfaced unconsciously, my body tensed on its own.
Ignoring the Illusory Illusion Witch who was giggling ominously at the crowd outside, I turned around.
There stood Tang Sowol, quietly watching me.
Her gaze had probably been fixed on me the entire time instead of the crowd.
If our positions were reversed, I would have done the same.
When our eyes met—her dark green eyes meeting mine—she approached as if she had been waiting and slowly straightened my clothes.
Her reaction was so calm it felt as if nothing unusual was happening.
As if she were simply seeing me off for my usual morning training, or for a casual outing.
That composure made a bit of mischief rise in me.
“So my fiancée is watching me go fight the greatest figure of the unorthodox faction and she has no encouragement or cheering to offer? That’s pretty cold.”
“Hm? Encouragement and cheering… Do you need such things, Brother Cheon?”
“Hm?”
“Well, just like always, you’ll go out there and win spectacularly again, won’t you? I’m merely preparing for what comes after your victory.”
Having finished fixing my clothes, Tang Sowol lightly tapped my chest.
She nodded with a satisfied look, as if admiring a masterpiece she had just completed.
Seeing that made me let out a laugh.
“Ha… Right. Preparing for after the victory, huh. Then of course there should be a reward for your fiancée who worked hard and returned with results.”
“Oh? Is there something you want? Or… something you’d like me to do for you?”
She sent me a subtly suggestive look.
I shrugged.
“Something I want… When we return to the Tang Clan later, let’s share a drink.”
“Hm? That’s not difficult at all.”
“Not difficult? It’s a very rare drink. Even the Tang Clan probably only has one.”
“What kind of drink is it?”
Tang Sowol tilted her head slightly, unable to hide a faint hint of disappointment.
I reached out toward her.
Squish.
The soft sensation of her cheek filled my palm.
Holding her slightly tilted head with both hands, I gently returned it to its original position.
Apparently she hadn’t expected that.
Her face slightly squished, she blinked blankly.
Watching her cheeks slowly flush red, I grinned and said,
“Daughter’s Wine.”
“Huh?”
“I heard that in noble families, when a daughter is born they brew wine and bury it. Then they dig it up during her wedding and drink it together.”
I looked at her.
“You have one too, don’t you?”
“I do, but…”
“Well that’s perfect. It’s a bit early, but a cup or two should be fine, right?”
I had thought it was a brilliant answer that she’d like.
But something seemed off.
Tang Sowol’s expression became strangely subtle.
How should I describe it?
A mixture of awkwardness, embarrassment… and slight guilt.
After staring at her for a moment, she carefully opened her mouth.
“Um… Brother Cheon. I think that might be difficult.”
“Why?”
“Well… this happened when I was sixteen… or maybe seventeen. Anyway, I was much younger than now…”
“…Wait. I’m already feeling uneasy.”
After my regression, there had been one thing that surprised me when I first saw Tang Sowol.
She had far more mischievousness than I expected.
At the time I had simply thought, so this is what she was like before the Tang Clan’s destruction.
But she said this was from when she was even younger.
Watching me swallow nervously, she gave an awkward smile.
“Well… it was unfair that only the adults drank it, and they didn’t even allow me near the place where the wine was stored…”
“Don’t tell me—”
“Yes. I drank it all.”
“…What?”
“I only meant to taste it. But like people drinking alcohol for the first time often do, I didn’t know my limits and ended up completely drunk.”
She watched my reaction with a slightly timid expression.
My strength drained away in disbelief.
“…Then I’ll think of something else.”
“I-I’ll think of something too!”
Still unable to remove my hands from her, she shook my arms energetically.
Well, at least my tension seemed to have eased thanks to that.
I released her and stepped outside.
Before me was a spacious training ground—large enough for two Flowering Stage martial artists to fight with full strength.
Apparently it was the place where the finals of the Black Heaven Festival were usually held.
It was that large—and naturally filled with spectators.
“WAAAAAA!”
Cheers echoed from afar.
The Illusory Illusion Witch, who had followed me out, began laughing with a voice befitting an evil sorceress.
“Hehe. With this many people, the betting pool must be enormous. I bet my entire fortune on you, White Moon Sword Lord, so please win.”
“I was planning to win anyway… but your entire fortune? That’s bold.”
“Well, technically my entire fortune is just five taels of silver.”
“…Why? Even if you lived in the mountains, a Flowering Stage martial artist shouldn’t lack money.”
“My storage warehouse flew somewhere when my house collapsed, so I couldn’t find it. The only money I have is what was left in my pouch from my last outing.”
…So this was my fault.
But since I had given her the chance to earn a lot of money, wasn’t that actually fortunate?
Maintaining a positive mindset, I stepped onto the training ground.
There stood the Black Lotus Sect Lord, already waiting.
Two spears—one long, one short—were stuck into the ground beside him.
He chuckled as he spoke.
“This Sect Lord is still the master of the Black Lotus Sect. Isn’t it a bit rude to make me wait so long?”
“I saw everything from outside. Didn’t you just come out a moment ago?”
“Even a few seconds of waiting is still waiting.”
He snorted.
But the grin on his lips never disappeared, and his eyes never left me for even a moment.
Of course—
The same was true for me.
Through the loose martial robe, his muscles writhed.
I traced their contours and reconstructed his martial arts from memories of the past.
For the past few days, the moves I had repeatedly seen within my mindscape now seemed to surge around him, ready to be unleashed at any moment.
If that radius was real, it would be the range in which he could thrust his spear instantly.
He hadn’t yet gripped the spear.
I hadn’t yet drawn my sword.
But the duel had already begun.
Maintaining a suitable distance, I took my position.
Then I cupped my fists politely.
After all, I was the challenger.
“I, White Moon Sword Lord Cheon Hwi, ask for your guidance.”
“Why so formal when we already know each other…”
Though he said that, the Twin Overlord Spear King also returned my salute.
“It’s been a while since I’ve introduced myself not as the Black Lotus Sect Lord, but as a martial artist.”
Chuckling, he slowly pulled the two spears—of different lengths—into his hands.
At the same time, I drew my sword and pointed it toward him.
The crowd, which had been roaring moments earlier, suddenly fell silent.
They must have sensed the sharp tension flowing between us.
A ferocity like a wild beast.
Blatant arrogance.
Yet not a single opening could be seen.
There was no more conversation.
But I knew.
The exact moment when I had to swing my sword.
At the same time, both our bodies moved.
Our feet slammed the ground, internal energy erupting as we accelerated instantly.
Our footwork roared like thunder.
But that sound didn’t come only from our feet.
Our muscles tightened across our entire bodies, internal energy exploding to support them.
The result—
A slight internal injury.
And a sword strike faster than sound.
My dark blade had already turned white.
Wrapped in the White Sword, the Thunder-Sound Sword shot straight toward the Black Lotus Sect Lord’s chest.
Opening with a supreme technique from the very first move.
A rather unconventional approach.
But apparently I wasn’t the only one thinking like that.
“Fast.”
With a battle-hungry grin twisting his lips, the Black Lotus Sect Lord moved both spears at once.
Their trajectory bent in an impossible path.
An attack filled with relentless persistence—once it targeted something, it would never let go.
The long spear drove forward.
The short spear pursued.
He elevated that simple principle into absolute inevitability.
An unavoidable strike.
The supreme technique imbued with the Black Lotus Sect Lord’s willpower precisely struck aside my Thunder-Sound Sword.
BOOM!
Fragments of qi and clouds of sand exploded in all directions.
Within the swirling dust, I smirked.
Looks like we were thinking the exact same thing.